Cleopatra V ( el, Κλεοπάτρα Τρύφαινα; died or ) was a
Ptolemaic Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to:
Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty
* Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter
* Ptolemaic Kingdom
Pertaining ...
Queen of
Egypt. She is the only surely attested wife of
Ptolemy XII. Her only known child is
Berenice IV
Berenice IV Epiphaneia ( grc-gre, Βερενίκη; 77–55 BC, born and died in Alexandria, Egypt) was a Greek princess and Queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty. From 58–55 BC, Berenice IV ruled Egypt during the political exile of her father Ptolemy ...
, but she was also probably the mother of
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
. It is unclear if she died around the time of Cleopatra VII's birth in 69 BC, or if it was her or a daughter named
Cleopatra VI who co-ruled Ptolemaic Egypt with Berenice IV in 58–57 BC during the political exile of Ptolemy XII to
Rome. No written records about Cleopatra V exist after 57 BC and two years later Berenice IV was overthrown by Ptolemy XII, his throne restored with
Roman military aid.
Descent and marriage
Because of the poor body of source material Cleopatra V is a very obscure member of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Only a few ascertained facts about her are known. Many aspects of her life are the subject of controversial theories. In all known ancient sources she is given the byname ''Tryphaena''. She may have borne this name before accession to the throne when she assumed the traditional royal name ''Cleopatra''. In some modern specialist literature Cleopatra Tryphaena, wife of
Ptolemy XII, is referred to as ''Cleopatra VI.'' The historian of
classical antiquity Werner Huß refers to her as ''Cleopatra VII Tryphaena''.
The parentage of Cleopatra V is not recorded. She may have been a legitimate or illegitimate daughter of
Ptolemy IX or the legitimate daughter of
Ptolemy X. It is mentioned that in 88 BC, Ptolemy X Alexander fled Egypt with his wife
Berenice III
Berenice III (Greek: Βερενίκη; 120–80 BC) was also known as Cleopatra, ruled between 101 and 80 BC. Modern scholars studying Berenice III refer to her sometimes as Cleopatra Berenice. She was co-ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt from 101–8 ...
and his daughter. Cleopatra Tryphaena might be this unnamed daughter.
Cleopatra V is first mentioned in 79 BC in two
papyri
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a d ...
. One of these papyri dates from January 17, 79 BC. In that year she married Ptolemy XII, king of
Egypt. They received divine worship as ''theoí Philopátores kai Philádelphoi'' (''father-, brother- and sister-loving gods''). Cleopatra’s Egyptian titles, found primarily at
Edfu and
Philae, include ''Daughter of
Re'', ''Female Ruler'', and ''Mistress of Two Lands''.
Death and identity
It is unclear how long Cleopatra V lived, and with which mentions of Cleopatra Tryphaena in the historical record she should be identified, as the numbering used to distinguish the
Ptolemies
The Ptolemaic dynasty (; grc, Πτολεμαῖοι, ''Ptolemaioi''), sometimes referred to as the Lagid dynasty (Λαγίδαι, ''Lagidae;'' after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic K ...
is a modern invention. Cleopatra Tryphaena V vanished around the time
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
was born (69 BC): her name begins to disappear from monuments and
papyri
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a d ...
, and there is a papyrus of Ptolemy XII from 69 BC that does not mention her but would be expected to do so had she still been alive.
There is some indication that Cleopatra may have died in 69 BC — she may have died in childbirth or was possibly murdered. Should she really have died that early, then the Cleopatra Tryphaena who is mentioned — after the expulsion of Ptolemy XII — as co-ruler of Egypt (together with
Berenice IV) in 58 and 57 BC, and died around 57 BC, must be her daughter, numbered by some historians as
Cleopatra VI Tryphaena. This is also supported by
Porphyry.
[Whitehorne, p. 182]
On the other hand, there is a dedication on the
Temple of Edfu from December 5, 57 BC that inscribes Cleopatra Tryphaena's name alongside Ptolemy XII's (who however was not present in Egypt at that time), which would have meant the king's wife rather than daughter and would be unlikely had Ptolemy XII's wife really died already twelve years earlier. Thus some, though not all, modern historians consider Cleopatra V to be identical with the purported Cleopatra VI Tryphaena, and have her living to c. 57 BC. This would comport with the account by Strabo, who reports Ptolemy XII to have had only three daughters; these can reliably be identified as Berenice IV, Cleopatra VII, and
Arsinoe IV as the king's daughters, so that there would not be left any room for a Cleopatra VI.
Werner Huss assumes, that quarrels erupted between Cleopatra V and Ptolemy XII in 69 BC and that as a result of these disputes Cleopatra V fell in disgrace and was compelled to resign.
Cleopatra V was probably the mother of Cleopatra VII.
Michael Grant comes to the conclusion that "on the whole" it seems most likely Cleopatra V was the mother of Cleopatra VII, noting that had Cleopatra VII been illegitimate, her "numerous Roman enemies would have revealed this to the world." He continues we should rule out the hypothesis Cleopatra VII was conceived by Ptolemy XII's second wife-to-be while Cleopatra V was on the scene, and that if this unknown second wife would have been Cleopatra VII's mother and later made "queen legitimized", Cleopatra VII would still have been considered a bastard and "her Roman foes would not have missed the hint."
Duane W. Roller
Duane W. Roller (born October 7, 1946) is an American archaeologist, author, and professor emeritus of classics, Greek and Latin at the Ohio State University.Arts and Sciences Web Services (2018).Duane W. Roller: Professor Emeritus, ''Emeriti''" ...
speculates that Cleopatra could have been the daughter of a theoretical half-Macedonian-Greek, half-Egyptian woman belonging to a family of priests dedicated to
Ptah and was "only technically illegitimate" (however, he contends that whatever Cleopatra's ancestry, she valued her Greek Ptolemaic heritage the most), but notes if this unknown woman was not Cleopatra's mother, then Cleopatra V would be her mother. Part of his argument is based on Strabo's mention of Ptolemy XII's having only three daughters, Berenice being the only legitimate one. But as Grant notes that, of all the attacks on Cleopatra VII, her being illegitimate is not among them, and that it is only mentioned in a casual statement by Strabo.
Most scholars agree that Berenice IV was a daughter of Cleopatra V. A different wife of Ptolemy XII may have been the mother of the younger siblings of Cleopatra VII, that is Arsinoe IV,
Ptolemy XIII and
Ptolemy XIV. However, Christopher Bennett thinks that Cleopatra V was the mother of all known children of Ptolemy XII.
Christopher Bennett: ''Cleopatra V.'', note 17 and 18
In 55 BC, upon his return to Egypt from exile with Roman military aid, Ptolemy XII had his rival daughter Berenice IV executed for usurping his throne.
Notes
References
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External links
Genealogy of Ptolemaic Dynasty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleopatra 05 Of Egypt
1st-century BC Egyptian people
1st-century BC Pharaohs
1st-century BC rulers in Africa
1st-century BC women rulers
60s BC deaths
90s BC births
Ancient Egyptian queens regnant
Female pharaohs
Pharaohs of the Ptolemaic dynasty
Ptolemaic princesses